Academics and legislators yesterday disagreed on the effects of the “creative and cultural significance” of buildings targeting local tourism at a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan yesterday.
The hearing, titled “Creativity or Disaster,” was planned following Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Yu-jen’s (許毓仁) questioning of the validity of the “cultural and creative significance” of the glass buildings in Tainan’s Beimen District (北門) and Chiayi County’s Budai Township (布袋) against the ecological damage such buildings brought.
The glass building in Beimen District is an arched dome framed with glass, while the building in Budai Township was built in the shape of a high-heeled shoe. Both buildings were called “chapels,” as they were planned to serve as settings for wedding photographs .
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsun, Taipei Times
National Chiao Tung University Department of Architecture director Kung Shu-chang (龔書章) said that the building shaped like a high-heeled shoe had a limited use in promoting local tourism, adding that it was the result of a policy aimed toward short-term gains.
If local governments want to ensure a steady stream of visitors, or a sustainable tourism policy, they should consider the mutual relationship between the building and the environment, Kung said.
The two buildings are famous precisely due the oddity of such buildings in the local area, architect Kuo Ying-chao (郭英釗) said, adding that once the their novelty passes, so would their attraction.
One should consider how to deepen the attraction once the crowd is drawn, Kuo said, adding that this was a method for sustainable tourism.
However, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) said that the buildings have brought a steady stream of tourists to the areas, adding that it was a great chance for local residents as well as the economy.
“Using the word ‘disaster’ is exaggerating the matter,” Tsai said.
Tsai said 21 percent of the Chiayi area’s population are senior citizens, adding that the glass building not only brought in a large number of tourists, but also offered young people opportunities to return to their hometown for investment or job opportunities.
Chiayi County Commissioner Helen Chang (張花冠) also said the township had seen an increase in tourists since the building was built — the “shoe” has received more than 1 million visitors — adding that a great deal of economic opportunities appeared in the area.
Meanwhile, the Southwest Coast National Scenic Area administration office director Cheng Jung-feng (鄭榮?) said the office had not expected to draw such crowds when the buildings, which were formerly vacant, were repurposed.
“I did not expect lots of tourists to visit the buildings,” Cheng said, but added that the office would work with local communities and nearby hotels in the hope of retaining the tourists.
In related news, a ceremony was held at the shoe-shaped building to apply to Guinness World Records for the tallest “high-heel-shaped building” in the world.
The current holder of the title is 1.95m tall, while the building in Budai is 25.16m long, 11.91m wide and 17.76m tall, the building’s staff said.
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